Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up
by DietCokeIsLife
Summary: And, the one time they cheered him up.
1. Kai

**Here's Jay's Five Times, even earlier than expected! Jay is such a fun character to write, so I hope you guys enjoy reading his Five Times!**

* * *

It was no secret that Kai was very expressive.

For someone extremely self-conscious like Jay, who was endlessly analyzing other people's behavior to try to find some hidden meaning, studying everyone else's reactions intensely after saying or doing something and then convincing himself that they must be irritated with him despite nothing in their expression suggesting anything of the sort, there was something refreshing about Kai's blunt, "Knock it off. That's annoying."

One could always tell exactly what Kai's mood was.

But, for Kai, an unfortunate side effect of expressiveness was _explosiveness_.

Nya and Zane were sitting in the living room animatedly discussing some book they were both reading in their own miniature book club. Jay, who had not read the book, sat with them and listened to the conversation anyway because he didn't feel like sparring with Cole and Lloyd on the deck and any moment spent in Nya's presence was a good moment.

The peace was shattered when Lloyd slammed the door open and rushed in, though.

"Guys, Kai's back, and he's in a _really_ bad mood," Lloyd whispered, glancing over his shoulder as if the ninja in question would appear at any moment and bite his head off. "Cole's distracting him so I could come warn you guys but he's already broken like three pieces of training equipment."

"Kai's always in some bad mood or another," Nya replied flippantly, readjusting her grip on her novel in a way that she suggested she was irritated with the interruption of their discussion for no important reason. "He'll get over it."

"But, this time, it's really-" Lloyd squeaked when he heard someone approaching behind him and quickly dove out of the warpath.

Kai stormed into the room, seemed angry that the door was already open so he couldn't slam it open himself, kicked said door so hard it slammed against the wall and probably left a dent, and then stomped toward his room, all but leaving a blazing inferno in his wake.

"What would you like for dinner, Kai?" Zane called after him in a sort of test.

" _Leave me alone_!" He yelled back, punctuating this order with a slamming of his bedroom door that shook the entire Destiny's Bounty.

Nya slowly exhaled. "Wow, that is bad."

"Cole?" Lloyd called out the doorway, fear dripping from his voice. "Oh my goodness, he killed Cole!"

"I'm fine," the black ninja grumbled as he trudged into the living room. They gasped when they saw he was cradling his quickly swelling cheek though. "I thought we could spar so he could blow off some steam. I lost."

"And, it didn't help," Jay pointed out unhelpfully.

"I'd like to see you do better, Zaptrap," Cole snapped, wincing when he put too much pressure on his bruised cheek. "At least I tried. You always just hide when somebody's in a bad mood."

"What? No, I don't," Jay argued, but even as he said it, he knew Cole was right. He abhorred the thought of someone being angry with him. Knowing he was not the cause of that anger didn't make it hurt any less when someone lashed out at him.

And, Kai was very good at lashing out.

"Fine," Cole replied, crossing his arms as he always did before making a challenge. "Go find out what's bothering Kai then."

"Cole," Nya said in chastisement. She placed her hand on Jay's shoulder. "You don't have to, Jay."

And, the blue ninja _had_ been on the verge of refusing Cole's dare… but now that Nya had automatically assumed that he would refuse and had to go to the trouble of reassuring him that it was okay for him to refuse, he _couldn't_ chicken out.

"Fine," Jay responded with more confidence than he felt, standing up. Cole's raised eyebrows suggested he was more than a little surprised that Jay had accepted. "I will."

"Can I have your computer after you die?" Lloyd asked, which did nothing to calm Jay's nerves as he forced himself to walk down the hallway toward the dragon's den.

"Ha ha," Jay grumbled sarcastically, though he now found himself composing his imaginary will in his head.

 _Nya, of course, will get anything of value I have, including the computer._

 _Lloyd can have all my Fritz Donnegan merch._

 _Zane, you can have all those books you loaned me that I never read. (So, I guess they're already yours…)_

 _Cole gets NOTHING because he's a jerk, so HA._

 _And, Kai gets nothing because he'll be in jail for murdering me, so who gets the last laugh now?_

 _Not me. Because, I'll be dead. And, dead people don't laugh._

Jay couldn't stall any longer. He was directly in front of Kai's bedroom door.

"Any day now, Jay," Cole whispered from down the hall, where both he and Lloyd were watching him.

"I'm working on it!" Jay hissed back. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on Kai's door.

" _Go away_!"

"Great start, buddy," Cole whispered, holding up a thumbs up.

Jay glared, then, spurred on by his brothers' judgmental gazes, opened the door and marched directly into the line of fire. He made sure he closed the door behind him so they wouldn't hear him crying if it came to that.

"What part of _go away_ didn't you understand?!" Kai snapped from where he was currently buried in a pile of red blankets on his bed so no part of his body was visible.

"Kai," Jay began hesitantly, unsure how he should go about it to avoid getting a fireball to the face. "Um… I think if you talk about what happened, then-"

" _Nothing happened_!" Kai yelled, almost… defensively. "Now, _get out of my room_!"

Jay was almost cowed into giving up… until he came to a realization.

Kai was a very straightforward kind of guy. If he was mad, you knew exactly who and what had caused it. So, the fact that he didn't want to talk about it… suggested it was something other than anger entirely. Sure, he was mad _now_ , but a lot of Kai's other emotions- sadness, disappointment, guilt, embarrassment- usually manifested themselves as anger.

And, if he was seeking comfort in a blanket fort and refusing to show Jay his face, then it was probably a mix of all four.

"Kai, c'mon, something happened," Jay insisted, creeping closer to the bed. It wasn't that an upset Kai was less scary than an angry Kai, but it was more like approaching a possibly rabid animal rather than a _definitely_ rabid animal. If you came at it in the right away, it might eat right out of your hand.

Of course, there was always the chance it would bite you.

"If I had wanted to talk about it, I would have talked about it, _Jay_." The last word was a warning. "Now, get out before I throw you out."

Jay thought. What was the best way to wheedle someone into giving up a secret? Bug them until they admitted it out of frustration, of course! (Okay, that's probably not how Master Wu would have answered that question, but still. Whatever works.)

And, Jay was very good at bugging people.

Suddenly, he leapt onto Kai's bed, directly on top of the lump under the covers that was the red ninja.

" _Ow_!" Kai yelped. With his eyes being covered by the red comforter, he hadn't even been able to brace himself for the blow. "What the- _Jay, get off me_!"

"Nope!" Jay responded, more or less lying down on top of Kai who was still completely hidden by the covers. "Not until you tell me what's bothering you!"

"Jay, I swear, if you don't get off me-"

"That doesn't sound like what's bothering you…," Jay sang, pushing himself into a kneeling position (he guessed his knees were planted firmly on Kai's stomach, but he couldn't tell for sure.) He started bouncing up and down on his knees, gently at first and then more dramatically.

"Jay, _quit it_! You're going to break my bed!"

"I'll only stop when-"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Kai snapped, finally fighting his way out of the blanket cocoon. Folding down the comforter so he could properly see Jay leaning over him, he glared. "If I tell you, will you _get off me_?"

"Yes," Jay replied honestly.

"Fine," Kai grumbled. He suddenly seemed to lose his courage, though, and half retreated back under the comforter so his face was partially hidden from Jay. "Skylor… Skylor broke up with me."

All the playfulness drained out of Jay as he slid off Kai so he was sitting beside him on the bed rather than on top of him. "Oh, man… I'm sorry, Kai. Did she say why?"

Kai sat up, the anger reigniting in his eyes. "She said I wasn't putting enough _effort_ into the relationship. I mean, where does she get off saying I don't put enough effort into the relationship!? What does that even mean?!"

Jay hesitated. The bro code dictated that he join in on bashing any girl that broke Kai's heart… But, Jay would have despaired at the thought of any of his brothers saying one negative thing about Nya when she had broken his heart (not that they would), because he loved her. Maybe toward another girl he didn't care so much about, but Nya was his _soulmate_.

And, sure, maybe Skylor wasn't Kai's soulmate, but he knew his brother really liked her. And, if he was this upset at their break up, then he _still_ really liked her. And, that was more than enough for Jay to brand their relationship as salvageable; after all, when it came to relationships, Jay was nothing if not persistent.

"Well, we have been pretty busy with missions and stuff…," Jay led in carefully, his mind going back to the rabid animal analogy. He hoped Kai didn't automatically assume Jay was taking Skylor's side in the matter.

"Like that's my fault!" Kai retorted. Good. He was being responsive instead of volatile. Jay could do this.

"Do you always visit her when we are in town?" Jay asked.

"Yes!"

Jay gave him a look.

"Okay, well, most of the time."

Jay continued giving him a look.

" _Fine_ , sometimes, but it's not my fault she's always working."

"Why don't you hang out with her at work?" Jay asked.

"That's bor-" Kai cut himself, knowing that the end of that sentence would validate Jay and, by extension, Skylor.

"Do you text her everyday?" Jay asked.

" _Everyday_?"

Jay gave him a look.

"Okay, okay, I see your point," Kai admitted. "So, maybe I could have put a little more effort into the relationship." He sighed, falling back onto his bed and beginning to pull the comforter back over his face. "But, it doesn't matter now. She made it pretty clear we're through."

Jay grabbed the edge of Kai's blanket before he could fully cover his face with it. "Kai, do you like Skylor?"

"What do you mean? Of course I do," he replied, his tone offended.

"Do you _really_ like her?"

"Yes, I _really_ like her."

"Do you _really, really_ like-"

"Jay! This better have a point."

"Then fight for her!" Jay exclaimed, hopping onto his feet and throwing his hands into the air. "You can't just give up! If she wants you to put more effort into the relationship, then prove that you can!"

Kai pondered this for a moment, both hands still clamped on the edge of the comforter, halfway between hiding under it again and throwing it off altogether.

Kai sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "You're right!"

"That's the spirit!"

"I'll win her back!" Kai announced, standing up.

"Yeah you will!"

"I'll show her so much effort, she'll be begging me to put in _less_ effort!" He decided, marching toward the door.

"Yeah!"

Kai placed his hand on the doorknob… then turned around to face Jay. "How do I do that?"

Jay placed his hand on his chin. "Well, to win her back, you're going to have to make a big gesture, something really heartfelt and meaningful. But, also something that was hard or took a lot of work."

"I could… buy her something?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "Kai, buying stuff takes, like, zero effort."

"I could… text her?"

"Kai! It needs to be face to face to show you mean it!" Jay placed his hand on his forehead despairingly. "You know, for a 'ladies man,' you're really not very good at this."

" _Ugh!_ " Kai groaned, throwing himself face down on his bed. "I'm used to girls just _liking_ me, not giving them a _reason_ to like me." He glanced at his brother before grabbing his pillow and burying his face in it. "And, now I'm getting girl advice from _Jay Walker_. What is the world coming to?"

"Gee, thanks a million," Jay grumbled sarcastically. "I'll have you know that Nya _loves_ the poems I-"

Jay gasped, causing Kai to lift his face from his pillow. "That's it! You can write her a poem!"

Kai shook his head. "No, I suck at writing!"

"Exactly!" Jay insisted, pulling on his brother's arm to urge him into motion. "It will require the ultimate amount of effort! So, when she sees that you would do that for her, she'll fall back in love with you!"

"Either way, it's going to be trash," Kai complained even as Jay dragged him half off the bed so his head was hanging upside down over the edge.

"No, it won't! I'll help you," Jay offered.

Kai looked up. "You will?"

"Yeah, of course!"

It took five minutes for Kai to clear off his desk, which looked like it had been used for every activity known to man _besides_ writing. After Kai finally managed to scrounge up a blank, not-crumpled piece of paper and a pen that actually had ink in it, he sat in his desk chair while Jay sat beside him on an overturned laundry basket (its previous contents now scattered across the floor.)

"Okay," Kai said, pen poised over the piece of paper. "What should the first line be?"

"Kai, I'm not going to write it for you!" Jay reprimanded. "I meant I'd help you, like, come up with figurative language or what words to use. But, _you_ have to write it so it means more!"

Kai dropped his eyes to the paper, now less excited about the gargantuan task that stretched out before him.

Jay sighed. "Now, do you want it to rhyme or not?"

Kai blinked. "There are poems that don't rhyme?"

Jay sighed again, and he suspected it wouldn't be the last time. "This may take a while."

Two hours, twenty seven balled up pieces of paper, four pens, and two very exhausted ninja later, it was finished. It had been easier once Jay finally got Kai to open up about what specifically he liked about Skylor, and once the red ninja worked through the embarrassment, the words had flowed out of him. It rhymed (since Kai seemed convinced that Jay was lying about non-rhyming poems), it was rather short, it was so sappy it was almost cringe-worthy, and it certainly wasn't winning any poetry competitions.

But, it was true, and it was Kai's, and Jay could see he was proud of it.

"Where are you two going?" Nya asked. The other ninja, either tired of waiting for Jay or convinced he was already dead and seeing no point in confirming that fact, had begun to watch TV, but looked up as Kai and Jay passed through on their way out.

"We've… got to run an errand," Kai supplied, apparently not willing to admit to the less than macho activity in front of his other siblings. "Oh, and, uh, sorry about hitting you earlier, Cole."

The ninja could only gape at Kai's complete and utter lack of the fiery and black anger from earlier- which meant that Jay had… _succeeded_. The blue ninja smirked at Cole's shocked expression, letting his brother know that the gloating would be forthcoming once he got back.

Cole pouted, crossing his arms.

As the two ninja headed into Ninjago City, Kai clutched the poem more and more tightly, rereading it over and over again, even though at this point he could probably recite it backwards, inside out, and upside down.

"Don't crease it!" Jay snapped, and Kai immediately loosened his grip on the piece of paper.

"What if she doesn't like it?" The red ninja asked nervously. "What if she laughs?"

Jay was certainly caught off guard by his usually cocky brother's anxiety. And, now _Jay_ was being the reassuring one instead of the one being reassured? The world was certainly backwards today.

"She won't," Jay insisted, laying his hand on his brother's shoulder. "She'll love it. I promise."

Kai reread his poem again, unconvinced.

They stopped in front of the cafe across the street from Mister Chen's Noodle House. "I'll wait here," Jay said, pointing at the cafe's huge window. "Oh, and if she asks you to read it to her, do it."

"What?!" Kai whisper-shouted so as to avoid drawing a crowd. "I can't- I can't read this out loud!"

" _Effort_ is the word of the day, Kai," Jay reminded him, physically turning his brother toward the restaurant and giving him a small shove. "You can do it. I believe in you. And, hey, if it doesn't work, we'll get ice cream after!"

"I thought you said it would work!" Kai protested, digging his heels into the ground as Jay continued pushing him.

 _Oops_ , Jay thought. "Um… it will! Don't worry about it!"

With one last push, Kai stumbled into the street and had to keep moving or risk becoming roadkill. Jay watched him go until he saw Kai disappear into the building. Hoping it wouldn't be the last time he saw Kai (he didn't know Skylor too well, but he did know that she was super tough, so who knew how she'd react to her ex-boyfriend traipsing back into her place of employment?), Jay turned and entered the cafe.

He sat by the window with his blueberry muffin, watching the door to Mister Chen's Noodle House intently. After the blueberry muffin was gone and Kai had still not reappeared, worst case scenarios began playing in Jay's head in full surround sound. Skylor had rejected him in humiliating fashion, and Kai was currently sobbing in the bathroom, unable to escape without facing her once again. Skylor had hated the poem and beat up Kai for daring to show his face around her again. Or, Kai had just disappeared into the back room and… never came back out.

Just as Jay was about to stage a rescue mission, Kai exited the restaurant and headed for the cafe. Squinting, Jay spotted something red on Kai's face, and now he knew option number two to be true and Skylor had punched Kai in the mouth. He jumped to his feet, words of comfort and ice cream on his tongue…

Kai entered the cafe and approached his table. He was grinning and not missing any teeth. And, that's when Jay realized it wasn't blood on Kai's face.

Lipstick.

"She loved it."

* * *

 **So, this one was a bit of a sillier one, but some will be more dramatic and hurt/comfort than others :D**

 **Quick poll question: for Nya's chapter, would you guys prefer it to be romantic or strictly friendship? Not sure if I have any Jaya haters out there, so feel free to let me know!**

 **Also, if you guys would like to leave ideas/requests for any future chapters, I'd love to hear your ideas!**

 **Next up is either Lloyd or Zane. I haven't decided yet :D Updates this for this story will be Mondays and Thursdays! (I know I'm a bit early for the Monday update, but I couldn't wait to get this story out there!)**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked it! :D**


	2. Zane

**Wow! I never expected such a positive response to this story! At 31 reviews, last chapter got the most reviews I've ever gotten on a** **single chapter! Thank you so much, everyone!**

 **This chapter takes place after Hands of Time!**

 **Special thanks to Alex Venzon, musicalsaregood, NinjagymnastgirlK, The Titan's Shadow, Snazzycheeto, Breeze015, Aurro sister of Morro, Cerenda, NinjagoGeek4EVER, FirstFandomFangirl, RandomDragon2.0, WindNinja333, StoriesAreMagic, TheYellowNinja, mochi, Plumcicle, Blue, Guest, PrairieSkies, CaribbeanGirl, snowflake, RPM Shadow Peanut2196, ABCSKW123-IX, Hawkfeather, Smoke, litereallymedusa, GameCubeGirl1, LeUltimateNerd, KyraPlays, and ILoveCheetos for reviewing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Aurro sister of Morro: Aw, I'm so glad you thought Jay was sweet! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Aw, I'm sooo glad you thought Jay was in character! And, that it made you laugh :D (I feel like I struggle with humor, so I'm so happy you thought it was as funny as I did :D) Lloyd is such a ham XD And, poor Kai D': With a title like "Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up," you can expect some pretty cheesy endings XD You have been warned XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **mochi: Haha, I'm so glad you thought they were in character! Yeah, as I will address at the bottom of the chapter, Jaya will be mentioned but not the focus of the chapter :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Plumcicle: Yay! Jay is one of my favorites too! :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Blue: Yes, I TOTALLY get what you mean! I'm a middle child, so I've both reassured an older sibling and been reassured by my younger sister! It definitely feels like the world is backward O_O Yes, Jaya will definitely not be the focus of the chapter :D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Guest: Haha! While Jay will exist and no doubt be mentioned (I haven't actually written the chapter yet, so I don't know to what extent) that will not be the focus of the chapter. I hope you still like the story! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **CaribbeanGirl: Aw, I'm sooo glad you thought they were in character! And, heartfelt was definitely what I was going for! ;D Thank you so much! :D**

 **RPM Shadow: Haha, how can you NOT love Jay?! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **snowflake: I promise Jaya will not be the focus of the chapter! Though, as we saw with the last chapter, Jay's crush was at least *mentioned* as I feel like that's important to his character. I hope you still like the story! :D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Hawkfeather: Oh my gosh, I am soooo happy you thought the chapter was so funny! I feel like I definitely struggle more with humor than angst, so it's very gratifying to know I succeeded in writing a funny chapter XD I could definitely see Jay doing something like that, like annoying brothers everywhere XD I see what you mean about Kai, but this kind of plays off the fact that Skylor is like *barely* in the show after season four. I guess it's implied that he's visiting her, but we all know how long distance relationships go… Haha, Cole's defintiely going to have to eat his words! "Inspiring author?!" You are way, way too kind! Thank you so so much!**

 **Smoke: I am definitely continuing! There will be six chapters: each of the first five chapters will focus on Jay cheering up one of the ninja, and the last chapter will be about them cheering him up. I have already written four chapters, so don't worry! XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **literallymedusa: "Perfect amount of fluffiness and humor?!" YES! Haha, after Morro's Five Times, I can definitely see happiness being a foreign emotion XD XD XD Not sure I want to know what you're implying with that raised eyebrow XD XD XD Jaya will be mentioned but not the focus of the chapter :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"Cole."

"Mm."

"Cooole."

"Mm."

" _Cooooooooooooole_!"

" _What_?!" Cole snapped, sitting up to see Jay kneeling beside him on his bed where he _had_ been taking a nap.

"Are you awake?" Jay asked innocently.

Cole blinked, unable to believe his brother had really asked such a stupid question. "You know what, Jay, I _wasn't_ asleep. I actually never sleep so that I can always be awake and ready to drop everything to help you with your problems."

"Good, because I have a big one," Jay replied earnestly, making himself more comfortable on Cole's bed, and the black ninja rolled his eyes at his brother's complete and utter obliviousness to his sarcasm.

"Zane hates me."

Cole balked at that. "What? No, he doesn't. Zane doesn't hate anybody. He won't even squish bugs, and I'm pretty sure I caught him apologizing to the germs when he was washing the dishes."

"Well, here, it's like this: you know how Mother's Day is Sunday? Well, I painted my ma this really nice painting-because you know she always likes my paintings, she always puts them on the fridge when I make them- and I worked really hard on it all week. But, I wanted to put 'Happy's Mother's Day' across the bottom to kind of complete the picture- but you know I have terrible handwriting. And, I didn't want to risk ruining this painting after I spent so much time on it. And, you know Zane is _amazing_ at calligraphy, so I asked him to write it on there. I even offered to do him a favor in return for helping me out, but he said he didn't mind at all! So, he did it, and it looked really good, and I said something like 'thanks a lot, Zane!' And, he just kind of smiled a little and walked off. It was really weird."

Cole rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation. "Jay, what's wrong with that? He sounded just fine to me."

"No, Cole!" Jay insisted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Zane would _normally_ be like 'Oh, it's no problem at all, Jay! I love to help out whenever I can!' Not just, you know, _not_ say anything. He must be mad at me!"

"Look, Jay, he probably just had something else on his mind. He doesn't hate you, and if you did something so bad to make _Zane_ , the friendship loving pacifist, angry, then I think you'd know what it was."

Jay put his hand on his chin. "Hm… I guess you're right. You said he had something else on his mind…?"

"Probably just contemplating his existence or something," Cole gave Jay a pointed look. "Now, will you get out so I can contemplate mine?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Jay said as he stood and headed toward the door. "Don't worry, I'll figure out what's bothering Zane just like you told me to."

"No, that's not what I- you know what, never mind, I don't want to know. Just close the door behind you."

* * *

"Hey, Nya, can we talk?" Jay asked as he knocked on the frame of Nya's open bedroom door. Aside from the nindroid himself, Nya was probably the most observant person on the Bounty; surely she would have noticed if Zane had been acting strangely.

"You actually caught me just as we were leaving, Jay," she said, picking up her suitcase and walking toward the blue ninja. "Is it an emergency?"

"Leaving? Where are you going?" He asked, feeling irrational fear cause sweat to prickle on his spine.

Nya rolled her eyes, but the affectionate smirk on her face betrayed the fact that she wasn't really annoyed with Jay. "Remember? Kai and I are going to spend the weekend at the blacksmith shop with our parents. You know, for Mother's Day?"

"Oh. Riiight," Jay said, now recalling the announcement the siblings had made about their short trip. "That's great, Nya! It's awesome you can finally spend Mother's Day with your parents."

"Kai's even more excited about it than I am! I'm just glad he hasn't been violently moody all week like he usually is this time of year," Nya explained. "Not having a mother kind of puts a damper on Mother's Day."

Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek. "See you later, Jay."

But, Jay couldn't even revel in the fluttering of his heart or the euphoria that flooded his brain that happened every time Nya so much as looked at him let alone _kissed_ him, because he was still replaying what she had just said to him in his head.

 _Not having a mother kind of puts a damper on Mother's Day._

Of course! How could Jay have been so _stupid_!? He had his mom, and Lloyd had Misako. And, sure, Cole's mom had passed away, but having a dead mother was different from having _no_ mother. Nya didn't mind so much having a mother who disappeared without a trace, but Kai always stomped around the Bounty like a bull in a china shop around Mother's Day. He usually found solace in _Zane_ , who also didn't have a mother.

This year, Kai did have a mother. But, Zane didn't.

Jay hurried out of Nya's room and down the hall. Zane's door was closed, which in and of itself was a red flag. To the nindroid, "privacy" was still a bit of a foreign concept and certainly not a priority, so his door was rarely closed.

Jay knocked.

"Come in."

When Jay opened the door, he saw Zane lying on his bed, hands folded daintily over his chest, staring at the ceiling with a morose expression. Jay knew he had suspected Zane was upset over this whole Mother's Day thing, but he was still shocked to confirm it. Zane had never expressed any sadness over not having a mother; had never even mentioned it in fact.

Then again, Jay firmly believed everyone had a right to something as essential as a mother (even nindroids), and it hurt Jay that so many of his siblings were missing that (and then felt like a jerk for ever complaining about his own mother.)

Then again, that gave him an idea…

"Hey, Zane," Jay said, leaning against the doorframe. "I was just thinking about how boring it's going to be on Sunday at the junkyard. It would be _way_ more fun if one of you guys were there with me, so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come along?"

Zane shot up in bed. "Really? Accompany you to your Mother's Day celebration at the junkyard?" He fixed Jay with a wary expression. "You are sure I wouldn't be imposing? After all, it is a family affair."

"Yeah, my parents consider all of you guys part of the family! And, don't tell the others, but you're my mom's favorite."

Zane grinned, leaping to his feet. "I would love to accompany you, Jay! Oh, I will need to bring a gift!" The nindroid grabbed both of Jay's shoulders. "Quickly, Jay, what is your mother's favorite type of cake?"

Jay scratched his cheek. "Um, red velvet, I think."

"Red velvet! Of course!" Zane exclaimed as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world that he had not assumed that. "I will get started on it right away! Oh, thank you for inviting me, Jay!"

And with that, he rushed out of his bedroom. Two seconds later, one could hear pots clanging in the kitchen and a hungry Cole being drawn to his natural habitat by the mating call of the cake in progress.

Jay smiled at himself, quite satisfied with how he solved the problem. "Well, Jay, you did a good deed today, yessiree. And, everything worked out-"

"Do you always talk to yourself in the hallway?"

Jay jumped, turning around to see Lloyd standing behind him, and Jay blushed and sputtered, "Well, I- I wasn't- ugh, shut up!" He shouted, rushing down the hall as Lloyd's laughter rang in his ears.

* * *

"Jay?"

Jay looked up, seeing Zane hesitantly open the door to his bedroom. Jay already had his pajamas on, as did Zane, and he was just about to go to bed.

"Yeah, Zane?" Jay asked, glancing at his alarm clock on the bedside table. "You'd better go to bed soon; we've got to get to the junkyard early tomorrow. My dad's making brunch."

Zane made a funny, little frown that reminded Jay of the face he himself made right before throwing up. "Yes, about that… Do you think it would be alright if… I did not go to the junkyard with you tomorrow? I know it is rude to turn down an invitation after giving you my word that I would attend, especially with such short notice-"

"No, Zane, I don't care about rudeness or whatever," Jay interrupted, shaking his head at his brother that was polite to a fault, even with his family. "I care about _you_. You seemed really excited about it yesterday. What changed? And, don't just stand there in the doorway. You know you can come in."

Zane didn't respond right away, glancing behind him as if deciding if he could make a clean getaway or not, but eventually sighed and nodded, stepping into Jay's room with stiff steps that were unnatural, even for a nindroid.

He sank onto the edge of Jay's bed, perching beside his brother.

"What is it, Zane?" Jay asked, repeating the question when it appeared that Zane would not restart the conversation himself. "I've noticed you've been kind of down lately. If you want to talk…"

Zane hesitated yet again, looking at the floor. Then, he said, "I do not have a mother, Jay."

The nindroid rushed to add, "Not that my father was lacking in any capacity! He gave me the world, and I love him dearly-"

"Zane," Jay grabbed his shoulder. "It's great how thankful and selfless you are. But, sometimes it's okay to say things are unfair. So, just _say_ it." Jay chuckled nervously. "Everyone knows I do my fair share of talking. And, it helps."

Zane glanced uncertainly at his brother. "I am very different."

At first, Jay assumed that he meant he was different from Jay, that talking things out were not how he preferred to cope with his problems.

But, then Jay realized he meant _different_. From everyone.

"Not having a mother is one of those differences," Zane continued, directing his gaze to Jay's dark blue comforter and running his titanium hand over it. "I don't… I don't really understand it. From what I can tell, mothers and fathers love their children equally. They are both guides, teachers… And, yet, you cannot deny that your mother and father occupy different parts of your heart, Jay."

Jay thought about it. He abhorred the notion of loving one parent more than another… but Zane was right in that they were different. Any time he cried or needed comfort or just wanted to vent or tell someone a story without judgment, he went to his mom. But, his dad gave him advice, taught him how to do things, and Jay knew if he was ever in trouble, his dad would be there as soon as physically possible.

He couldn't imagine having one without the other. It was like ripping his heart in half.

But, Zane had only ever gotten half that heart in the first place.

"Cole loves his father, but they have many issues with each other. And, yet Cole seems to harbor none of that resentment toward his mother despite her absence now," Zane went on, listing his observations. "And, yet, on the other hand, it is undeniable that Lloyd would choose Garmadon over Misako every time. I just don't understand it, Jay."

Zane took a deep, shuddering breath, and Jay realized that his brother was even more upset over this than Jay had originally thought.

"And, I know it is horribly selfish of me to long for a mother's love when I know how deeply my father cared for me, and I know it is horribly selfish to long to be a normal human with a mother and father when I have already been given the miracle of life that I had no claim to in the first place, but…"

Zane trailed off, looking away to compose himself as he shook with tremors.

Jay, for once in his life, didn't know what to say. He felt tears pushing at his own eyes, because it wasn't fair that his brother was so good and kind and yet didn't- _couldn't_ \- have the things he _deserved_ , would never know the little miracles that every human took advantage of.

"Zane-"

"So, I feel it is best that I do not accompany you to the junkyard tomorrow morning," Zane announced, standing. He wasn't smiling, but he had carefully hidden the deep, raw, understandable misery of only a few moments before behind a mask of almost cold politeness. Jay hated that his brother felt he needed to hide his true emotions from him, from all of them. "I fear I will not be the best company, and I would hate to ruin your family's holiday in the face of their hospitality. Please take the cake with you and give your parents my regards."

"Zane-"

But the nindroid was already walking out of the room before Jay could stop him, and a moment later, he heard Zane's bedroom door shut with nothing more than a very quiet thud. It was like Zane, hiding a scream behind a whisper, hiding the slamming of a door behind a _click_ , hiding tears behind a mask.

Jay wanted to immediately rush after his brother and comfort him- but he still didn't know what to say. He couldn't _make_ Zane human. He couldn't give Zane breath or a heartbeat. He couldn't go back in time and make Dr. Julien fall in love with someone who would love Zane as a mother. He couldn't build Zane a mother-

 _Or, could he?_

No, no, Jay discarded the idea. A mother wasn't someone who just popped up in your life and claimed to know you, to love you. The title of Mom wasn't something inherent; it was earned after years and years of loving, fighting, understanding, just _being_ there-

Jay gasped.

He rushed out of his bedroom- but he did not go into Zane's room. Cole had already gone to bed, but Jay exploded into his room, flipping on the light and causing Cole to scream in agony as his retinas burned.

" _What the heck, Jay?!"_

"C'mon, I've got to go wake up Lloyd and call Kai and Nya! Bring all the crayons you can find and meet me in Lloyd's room ASAP!"

Cole blinked the spots out of his vision to see his doorway empty, but he could hear Jay waking up Lloyd in a similar fashion a few rooms over.

"This better be good," he grumbled to himself, searching under his bed for the box of crayons, markers, and colored pencils he kept for when he was in a coloring mood.

* * *

"Jay, I am sorry, but I really do not think I am up to attending your family's Mother's Day celebration," Zane insisted as Jay dragged him into the kitchen. The red velvet cake was sitting on the table in a plastic container beside Jay's wrapped painting.

Cole had already left to spend the day with his father, and Lloyd had discreetly escaped with his mother. They had wanted to be there, but Jay had thought it better that he do this one-on-one with Zane to take any and all pressure off his brother.

"I know, I know, and I won't make you go if you don't want to," Jay said, finally releasing Zane and then turning around to pluck something off the counter. "But, I wanted to give you this before I left."

He held out the card.

It was a big piece of construction paper, perhaps the size of a restaurant menu. In the middle was a drawing of Zane, and around him were the other ninja. They all looked very happy, and the scene was incredibly colorful. It would have taken a long time for anybody to draw, and there was clear evidence of painstaking attention to details, like an uncanny likeness to their intricately designed uniforms.

Across the top were the words, "Happy Mother's Day, Zane!"

"I thought about what you said," Jay began hesitantly, rubbing his eye and really wishing he hadn't only gotten four hours of sleep the night before. Zane continued staring at the drawing, either shocked into inaction or simply unsure how to react. "And, you're wrong, Zane. A mother isn't something that you're born with. A mother is someone who listens to all your problems and takes care of you when you're hurt and can make things better just by being there. A mother is someone who you know loves you unconditionally.

"And, I realized that describes you perfectly, Zane! I talked to everyone, and they agree. You _do_ know what a mother's love is like, because you're basically our mom, Zane!"

Jay felt a little silly saying it out loud, and self-conscious now that Zane still hadn't moved. When he'd first pitched the idea to the others last night, he had insisted that Zane would love it, but honestly he wasn't so sure. Zane sometimes reacted opposite to how Jay thought he would; he'd once made a terrible pun and while the others had groaned, Zane had laughed for twenty minutes straight.

Zane carefully set the card on the table.

Then he tackled Jay, crushing his brother in his arms and lifting him a few inches off the ground. "Oh, Jay, this card is the loveliest thing I have ever seen! Do all of you really think of me with such high regard?"

"Of course, Zane!" Jay wheezed- or tried to wheeze as his lungs collapsed. "You're the best brother a guy could ask for!"

Zane set him down then and made to release him- when Jay suddenly wrapped his arms around his brother, continuing the hug.

"It's okay to feel like life is unfair. It's okay to feel like you deserve more," Jay said quietly, earnestly. "Because, you _do_ deserve more, Zane. I just wish you'd talk to us when you're sad and let us tell you that more often."

Zane didn't say anything but nodded against Jay's shoulder.

When they pulled away, Jay said, "So, will you come to the junkyard, please?"

Zane glanced at the cake he had made even as his fingers trailed reverently over the card his siblings had made him.

"I still think it would be best if I did not come."

Jay's heart dropped. He thought he'd really made Zane happy, but if the nindroid had only been acting that way so he could get Jay off his back and then stew here in loneliness… "But-"

"Your painting is nice, Jay, but I fear your mother will be envious of _my_ Mother's Day gift," Zane said, grinning as he held up the card to admire it once again.

Jay laughed, rolling his eyes. "I think I'll take my chances."

"Still, I think I will leave it here to spare her feelings," Zane reinforced, carefully transporting his newest prized possession to his room. "If you will give me a moment to hang it up, I will rejoin you shortly."

"I'm glad you like it so much, Zane!" Jay called after him, still laughing.

Zane poked his head back into the hallway.

"Are you kidding? Mother's Day is my new favorite holiday!"

* * *

 **So, I hope you liked it! I struggled with this chapter a bit, but I didn't abandon this idea because for some reason I found the ninja considering Zane the mom of the group (and Zane embracing the title) just so unbelievably cute XD (Also, I know Mother's Day was like two weeks ago, but we're not terribly out of the ballpark yet... right? ^_^;)**

 **With regards to the Jaya poll question of last chapter (I did not expect this to be such a divisive issue! XD), Jaya will be an established thing and definitely *mentioned* as it is canon, but that will not be the focus of the chapter nor will it be overly romantic :D I hope that's a good compromise! XD**

 **This chapter is a tad more emotional than the last one, and I think the angst only increases as the story goes on. (Then again, I haven't written Nya's or Jay's chapters yet. If you guys have any ideas for those, feel free to let me know -_-;)**

 **Next chapter is Lloyd :D Update is Monday! :D**


	3. Nya

**Alright, alright, I *know* I said Lloyd's was up next. I did have Lloyd's already written and ready to go, and I liked it well enough, but a part of me thought it seemed a little... unfinished. Today, though, I was hit with inspiration for what I felt the chapter needed, so I will basically be rewriting Lloyd's chapter, and that will be coming out on Thursday!**

 **Have instead Nya's chapter, in which I tried to strike a balance between romance and friendship! It's about a thousand words shorter than the first two, but I like it :3**

 **Special thanks to The Titan's Shadow, NinjagoGeek4EVER, ABCSKW123-IX, WindNinja333, KyraPlays, RPM Shadow, TheEvil4ssHole, RandomDragon2.0, FirstFandomFangirl, Guest, Star, Guest, CaribbeanGirl, literallymedusa, Hawkfeather, TheYellowNinja, GwenBrightly, Smoke, PraireSkies, Peanut2196, Snowflake, J.R.R. Not-Tolkein, StoriesAreMagic, KitKatTheCrazyFangirl, mochi, and MightyShipper for reviewing!**

 **I will reply to your review from last chapter at some point tomorrow, because it is very late where I am XD**

 **RPM Shadow: Haha, I'm glad you liked those parts! Thank you for reviewing! :D**

 **Guest: Aw, thank you so much! This chapter is pretty much friendship, so I hope you like it :D**

 **Star: "Perfectly cute?!" YES! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Guest: I... have no idea how to respond to that. So, thank you for reviewing, I guess?**

 **CaribbeanGirl: Haha, it means a lot that you pick my story over studying XD I'm glad you thought Zane in character! I've always seen him as a reserved kind of guy that doesn't like to open up about his feelings :( I definitely agree that the ninja have a unique bond! :3 I am sooo glad you found that line funny XD I just thought Zane as the mom of the group was too cute to pass up XD Thank you sooo much for reviewing! :D**

 **literallymedusa: Aw, you almost cried?! That makes me so happy! :D Haha, I'm glad you liked Cole's cameos XD Aw, you are really way, WAY too kind! All of your comments absolutely mean the world to me, so thank you so so much for being so nice! :D**

 **Hawkfeather: Oh my gosh, you are SO nice! Haha, the perfect blend of angst and humor was definitely what I was going for XD I would definitely love to see Zane having a mom, but alas, it wasn't meant to be :/ I have a younger sibling with selective hearing XD Zane needs to learn to just open up and be honest with his feelings D': I think Zane is an AWESOME mom for the group XD Haha, yes, Kai and Nya's parents are back and alive at the end of season 7, and they definitely deserve it! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Yay! As I've said on numerous occasions, I think Zane and Nya are the hardest for me to write, so I'm so happy you liked this Zane chapter! At least Zane can be the mom of the group, even if he still wishes he had a mom of his own D': Haha, I'm glad you liked Cole's scenes XD I think you should definitely post your fanfics! I'm glad you liked the fluff! Forgive me for posting Nya's chapter first ^-^; Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **GwenBrightly: Really?! You're favorite Ninjago author?! You are WAY too kind! It makes me SOOO happy to know you think they're in character! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Smoke: Haha, that is still a HUGE compliment! XD Thank you so so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Snowflake: Aw, it really means a lot to me that it made you smile! :D Ooh, good idea for Lloyd and Jay's chapter, but since I already used that for Jay's chapter of Lloyd's Five Times, I don't really want to use it again here XD But, thank you so much for the suggestion! I'm always in need of inspiration :/ Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **mochi: An amazing author?! You're making me blush! Zane being depressed over not having a mom makes me sad too D': Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, believe me, I know the pain of homework! You're almost to summer vacation, you can make it! :D I'm glad you thought it was so cute! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

It was times like these that made Jay think back to when it all went wrong.

He supposed it all started when they stopped some burglars from ransacking a hardware store. The hardware store owner was so grateful that he wanted to do something to repay them. It turned out that his brother's girlfriend's father was actually the owner of the Ninjago City roller skating rink, and he was offering to throw the ninja a private party- free of charge, of course. An entire night with the whole roller rink to themselves, and though the ninja never did good deeds in order to receive payment, it would have been rude to turn down such a generous gift.

Kai and Nya had been less than thrilled.

It turned out that the many years of dance training had left Cole with a sense of balance perfect for roller skating, and Zane was more or less proficient in it, as he was in most things.

Kai, despite his semi-disastrous performance in Lloyd's roller derby challenge during the Tournament of Elements, was no better than he had been, and Nya had never touched a roller skate in her entire life.

And, then Nya had done what she always did just by _existing_ near Jay: she was asking him something, but he had been so distracted by how absolutely gorgeous she looked to actually listen to what she was saying. So when she had finished, he had nodded without knowing what the question was. She had seemed happy, so he figured it was the right answer.

It was only after she was gone that the others, barely able to breathe through their laughter, had informed Jay that he had just agreed to teach Nya how to roller skate.

Teach. Nya. How to do something she didn't already know how to do.

Nya. Who, if Kai was anything to go off of, would probably not be very good at it.

Nya. Who, if learning how to be the water ninja was anything to go off of, gave up at the drop of the hat.

Nya. Who, if anyone who had ever made her mad was anything to go off of, was very, very, _very_ scary when she was frustrated.

And, Jay. Who was probably not a very good teacher and whose worst fear was Nya being angry with him.

This was bad.

* * *

"Okay, finished."

Jay looked over from where he was watching Zane, Lloyd, and Cole, already wearing their own roller skates, trying to coax Kai onto the roller rink while the red ninja held onto the nearby water fountain for dear life. Nya straightened from where she had been bent over, lacing up her roller skates, and clapped her hands on her knees.

"Ha ha, good job…," Jay said nervously, regretting ever agreeing to place himself in a position of authority over Nya. Then, realizing he had probably come across as patronizing, quickly added, "So, uh, first, just try standing up, I guess."

Nya nodded and, using the bench she was currently seated on, pushed herself into a standing position. "Okay. This isn't so bad."

"Yeah!" Jay agreed immediately. "You're probably a natural!"

At the sound of yelling, they looked over to see Zane, Lloyd, and Cole all attempting to pry Kai off of the water fountain while the fire ninja held on with all his might. _Please don't let this come to that…_

"Now… Just try taking a step forward and getting used to the weight of the skates," Jay instructed, recalling his own first experience with roller skating with his mom when he had been seven years old.

Nya did so, scrambling to keep her footing when the roller skate almost shot out from under her. Jay was just about to grab her arm to keep her upright… but, recalling the whole Nadakhan debacle when Nya refused to take his hand on the billboard, decided she probably would not appreciate the gesture.

The water ninja straightened once again, though she kept her arms out to either side to ensure she kept her balance. "Okay. Now skating?"

 _I wish_ , Jay thought, watching as Cole took Kai's arms and Lloyd lifted Kai's legs and they physically carried him onto the roller rink while he struggled in their grasp.

"Um, first, I think you should try to get used to the motion of moving," Jay said. "Instead of walking, it's more like skiing. You're trailing foot is always pushing your other foot forward; by the time your leading foot hits the ground, it's already moving along the floor."

Nya frowned at the brown rental skates on her feet, obviously struggling to visualize the instructions, and Jay cursed himself for not explaining it better.

Just as he was about to try to illustrate the movement in a better way, Nya said, "Okay," and pushed off the wall.

And, fell flat on her face.

" _Nya_!" Jay shouted, kneeling by her. He cringed when his shout surprised Kai into also falling flat on his face in the roller rink, inciting mirthful panic in his three teachers. "Are you okay?!"

Nya huffed, picking herself up off the floor and inspecting the arm she had landed on. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jay thought about offering her a hand, but once again thought she would only ignore it and insist on getting up herself, which she did a moment later.

"Okay, let's just try it again," Jay offered gently, wanting to push past this "failure" before Nya had time to get frustrated. "I think it helps to bend your knees. It grounds you better."

Nya nodded, trying to move forward again.

She fell again.

And again.

And again.

And, they were still on the carpet. They hadn't even ventured onto the very slick roller rink.

This was very, very bad.

* * *

It was the fifth time Nya fell that she gave up.

" _Ugh_!" She shouted, maneuvering into a sitting position and already reaching for the roller skates so she could rip them off her feet. "This is just- just _stupid_! This whole thing is stupid!"

"Nya, you can't give up!" Jay protested, crouching down beside her on the ground. "I mean, I fell, like, _twenty_ times before I could ever go on the rink! Falling is a part of the process!"

"Well, anything that has _falling_ as part of the process is _stupid_!" Nya argued, yanking at the knot that was too tight for her to simply pull the skate off her foot. "I'll just wait for you guys at home."

Jay gaped. Nya was going to _leave_? But, this was supposed to be like a party! It was supposed to be the six of the hanging out and having the time of their life, and it wouldn't be the same without Nya there! Not to mention the fact that Jay kind of, sort of hoped that they could make a habit out of visiting roller rinks to hang out together, since he _loved_ roller skating. But, if they did, they'd always have to leave Nya behind, which wasn't cool.

And, of course, Jay would have failed as a teacher. He also knew that, no matter how frustrated Nya was now, she would regret giving up later.

Jay's eye widened as he got an idea, but he quickly covered up the epiphany with a sigh. He sat down heavily beside Nya on the floor.

"I knew it," he sighed again, extra loudly for effect. "When I agreed to teach you, the other guys said I'd never be able to do it because I was horrible at being a teacher. I wanted to prove them wrong, but I guess they're right. I suck."

Nya gasped. "What? They said that?!" She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Jay, you're a fantastic teacher! And, you've taught them plenty of things!"

Jay looked up at her disbelievingly. "But, I failed."

" _One_ failure doesn't define- oh." She cut herself off, finally realizing what Jay's plan had been. She shoved him then, but she was smiling. "That was a dirty trick, Walker. Besides, it's not the same thing."

"But, it is!" Jay insisted, leaning forward. "Why would it be different? Why are there different standards for me and you?"

Nya pondered this, dropping her eyes to the ground. "Well, there's _not_ , but-"

"Exactly!" Jay exclaimed. "There's not!"

"But, it's _different_ -"

"But, you just said-"

"It's just different, okay, Jay?" Nya snapped, and Jay was shocked into silence. "I don't- I don't like _feeling_ that way! It's the same reason _you_ don't like going up to strangers and striking up conversations! Or, drawing attention to yourself in a public place! I _hate_ the feeling of-of failing, because then I'm not-"

Nya stopped herself, scrubbing furiously at the corner of her eye, but Jay knew the end of the sentence anyway.

 _Because then I'm not good enough_.

Because it was the same feeling he got every time he begged Cole to order his food for him at a restaurant, or when he saw a group of teenagers giggling and assuming they must be laughing at him. It was worthlessness, it was anxiety, it was

 _Fear_.

"Nya-"

"I _don't_ want to talk about it, Jay," she said harshly, trying once again to untie the skates.

"You're not perfect."

The announcement made Nya freeze, her fingers still tangled in the laces.

"And, I don't know why you think you have to be," Jay continued. "I mean, you're so much more than just what you can _do_ well. You do things no one else ever thought you could do and you don't give one care in entire the world what other people think about you and I wish I could be half as confident and tough and still so incredibly nice as you, Nya. You're-You're my hero!"

Nya looked up at Jay in shock, and though the blue ninja was blushing, he held her gaze steadily.

"And, you'll still be my hero even if you suck at roller skating," Jay continued, gesturing at the skates on her feet. "So, _please_ , can you forget about being perfect and just be Nya?"

Nya stared at her roller skates, hovering her hand over the knot.

Jay hopped to his feet and offered her his hand, reminding them both of the incident on the billboard.

"It's not weakness," He stated, wishing he had told her all of this that day to prevent the teapot from ever being found in the first place. "And, it doesn't make you less than. It's just Jay and Nya having a good time."

Nya looked up at him.

Jay smiled awkwardly, wishing he knew the right things to say, wishing he could be the boyfriend Nya deserved and tell her exactly what she needed to-

Nya took his hand.

Jay grinned, pulling her up into a standing position- but he didn't let go of her hand. Because it wasn't about teaching Nya how to roller skate anymore; it was about having a good time.

He began to pull her toward the rink- slowly at first, silently asking, _Is this okay_?

Nya tightened her grip on his hand. _Yes_.

He dragged her onto the rink, and then he began picking up speed, going faster and faster so Nya could feel the same rush he did without the fear of falling, and he grinned when he heard her laugh behind him. When the other ninja noticed the pair had finally made it onto the rink, they cheered. Lloyd and Cole each grabbed one of Kai's hands and started pulling him along in the same fashion, while Zane appeared on Nya's left and grabbed her other hand, so all six of them were zooming around the rink at the same speed. Jay then reached out his unoccupied hand and grabbed Lloyd's so they formed one huge six person chain.

And, it was great- for four seconds. What they did not take into account was how much harder it is to direct a six person chain than a three person one. When they started coming to the curve of the rink, everyone was screaming, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and the four skaters were trying to turn their chain into the direction of the curve while dragging along their two free riders-

They smashed into the wall of the rink.

They landed in a pile, Nya falling directly on top of Jay. And, though it was a failure of epic proportions and Kai was threatening to murder all of them for forcing him onto this "deathtrap" and Lloyd might or might not have had a concussion, Nya threw her arms around Jay's neck and put her lips close to his ear.

"You're my hero, too, Jay."

* * *

 **So, short and sweet, and a bit of a different feel from the last two chapters? Yes? No?**

 **I hope I struck a good enough compromise between Team Jaya and Team Platonic XD**

 **I do feel that I have to announce the life-altering discovery I made while writing this chapter though:**

 **My entire life... I thought roller skating was one word. XD**

 **It's actually two words. My mind was blown. XD**

 **So, let me know if you liked the chapter and feel free to share any revelations you've had that turned out to be super obvious XD**

 **Next up is Lloyd (hopefully) on Thursday! :D**


	4. Lloyd

**Lloyd is finally here (a few hours early XD)! I do like this chapter better than the first draft, so I hope you guys like it! :D**

 **This chapter takes place almost immediately after Season 5 (Possession)!**

 **WARNING! This chapter talks extensively about anxiety. While I do not *think* there is any trigger-worthy material in it, please be aware of the content before you read.**

 **Special thanks to Breeze015, MightyShipper, WindNinja333, Kweriitop, RPM Shadow, Serpentine King, PraireSkies, LeUltimateNerd, LiaLia15, ABCSKW123-IX, mochi, TheYellowNinja, Smoke, GwenBrightly, Cerenda, Peanut2196, RandomDragon2.0, Pipes123, KyraPlays, Hawkfeather, LeUltimateNerd, Aurro sister of Morro, and CaribbeanGirl for reviewing! You guys are the best :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: I really enjoyed mentioning Kai's epic fails in the background XD I love Jaya too :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **RPM Shadow: Jay is the best :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **mochi: Aw, I'm so glad you thought it was cute! :3 And, that you thought all the ninja crashing in a pile was amusing XD Yep, we got pretty much as close as we could to Jaya without making it explicitly romantic XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: I definitely think Nya needing to be perfect at everything and giving up easily adds an important layer to character :D (Ugh, and I totally get her perfectionism :/) Jay is such a sweetie :3 Haha, I haven't seen Infinity War, but I do know that one would need cheering up after seeing it XD I'm glad this did it for you! :D Yep, definitely a different texture! I try to cover a variety in these Five Times: the first three were a bit lighter and the next three or pretty angsty, if I do say so myself. YES! Hitting the ninja's dynamic is always the top priority! :D Ugh, roller skating being two words seriously blew my mind O_O Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Smoke: Being Nya's hero is a position of high regard! XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **GwenBrightly: "Phenomonal writing" AND "in character?!" You're making me blush XD Yeah, I tend to think Jay has anxiety, which we'll talk about again in this chapter :D I love Nya and Jay :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Hawkfeather: I think Jay and Nya are just perfect for each other, because Jay is so sweet and the perfect person to support Nya's fiery personality perfectly! :3 Haha, a chapter about roller skating just couldn't happen without the ninja all ending up in a pile XD Oh, thank you SO MUCH for the suggestions! Inspiration is so hard to come by sometimes -_-; I did promise to do one Five Times for every character before doing any repeats, so I will be writing Zane's and Nya's before coming back to Kai, but I will definitely keep those in mind! :D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Aurro sister of Morro: Cute AND fluffy!? Two of my favorite things! XD Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **CaribbeanGirl: Roller skating is, in fact, two words. My mind was absolutely blown! Thanks for understanding about Lloyd's chapter! I really don't want to put any chapters out there that I'm not proud or that I know I could write better :D "Beautifully written?!" You are too kind! :D Kai's as stubborn as Nya, but I totally get you and Nya about hating to fail :/ Jay is so sweet; he'll always be there for Nya! Haha, I'm glad you liked the ill-fated ninja chain XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Jay yawned as he trudged out of his bedroom, still knotting the belt of his gi- and nearly ran smack dab into Cole, who was passing in front of his bedroom.

"Cole!" He exclaimed, immediately tackling his brother's back and holding on with all his might. "I'm tired. Carry me."

"Get off me!" Cole snapped in response, tossing Jay's arms off his body and hurrying ahead a few steps so he couldn't be ensnared by the blue ninja once again.

Jay gasped in mock-horror, running after his brother. "Cole! How could you betray me like this?!"

"Making you walk on your own two feet is not betrayal!" Cole called over his shoulder, laughing.

Jay rounded the corner- and this time he really _did_ run into the mountain of muscle that was Cole, which was pretty much the equivalent of smashing into a brick wall.

Cole seemed unphased, but Jay rubbed his nose and peered around his brother to see the rest of his siblings, sans Lloyd, gathered around the entrance to the deck- watching what, he couldn't tell.

"What are we all looking at?" He demanded.

Zane sighed and turned around. "Lloyd is training early this morning."

"Already?!" Jay asked incredulously.

"We haven't even had breakfast yet!" Cole added, this being the worst offense in the black ninja's opinion. "How long has he been out here?"

"A long time, from the looks of it," Nya replied. "This isn't the first time either. He's been out here at the crack of dawn pretty much every day this week."

"Which might be permitted if he also wasn't staying up late at night," Zane pointed out.

"This is all Morro's fault," Kai growled, turning around to face the center of the group as well. "If I ever get my hands on him, I'll… well, I don't know what I'll do, but it's going to be bad, that's for sure!"

It had been scarcely two weeks since the defeat of Morro and the Preeminent… and it was no secret that Lloyd was struggling. Morro's possession had traumatized him more than he would have liked to admit, not to mention getting the opportunity to see his father again, only to indirectly cause his death. His older siblings had thought the nightmares had stopped… but now it appeared that Lloyd simply wasn't sleeping at all.

"Should we… have a talk with him or something?" Cole suggested.

Nya pressed her lips into a line. "We've tried… Maybe this is just something he needs to work through on his own?"

"We will persist in our observations," Zane agreed. "And, intervene if Lloyd begins acting dangerously. Unless he were to approach one of us first."

The ninja shared a look, nodded, and then headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

Jay looked back one last time at his baby brother executing three back handsprings in a row before sighing and joining the others in the kitchen.

* * *

Lloyd's behavior was consistently worrisome throughout the day.

He was notably slow during group training, even going so far as to lose his spar with Zane. And, yet, mere hours later, he was training individually once again. It went beyond studiousness and passed into obsession, but when asked if he wanted to join in on a different activity, he always declined.

What was more concerning was that he was taking ibuprofen around the clock. If he was training so much he was sore, it was too much. But, Zane informed them that sleep deprivation and hunger could be causing him headaches, which seemed more likely when Lloyd skipped breakfast and picked at his lunch.

The last straw was at dinner, though.

The ninja, including Lloyd, were gathered in the living room when Zane entered the room from the kitchen (wearing his pink apron, of course) and informed them that dinner was ready.

"Eh, you guys go ahead," Lloyd said, standing and stretching. "I'm not hungry. I think I'm just going to go for a run."

His siblings shared alarmed looks- except for Kai, who marched forward so he was standing directly in front of the Green Ninja.

"You have to eat, Lloyd," he stated, crossing his arms.

"I do eat," Lloyd argued, immediately defensive. His eyes jumped from sibling to sibling, finally realizing that this was some sort of… intervention. "I'm just… not hungry tonight."

"You haven't eaten all day."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Kai. I'm just not hungry," Lloyd snapped, trying to push past the red ninja to get to the door.

Kai grabbed his arm. "How much sleep have you been getting?"

Lloyd glared at the hand locked around his bicep. "Why is that any of your business?"

"Just answer the question."

"Six-"

"That's a lie."

Lloyd glanced at his other siblings, now appearing almost ashamed, though whether it was of the lie or of his insomnia, they couldn't tell.

"Three."

"Three hours?" Kai repeated, tugging on his brother's trapped arm. "Lloyd, you know better. You _know_ better."

"I can take care of myself," Lloyd said curtly, finally yanking his arm out of Kai's grasp.

"Lloyd, we're trying to _help_ -"

"I don't need help! You're not my dad!"

A hush fell over the room, as Lloyd realized what he had said. His face fell-

Nya said gently, "Lloyd-"

-but the Green Ninja was already gone, disappeared through the door and presumably making his escape to who knows where.

Kai sighed and made to follow… when Jay grabbed his arm, mirroring his previous position with Lloyd.

"Kai, don't," Jay said pleadingly.

Kai frowned. "Someone needs to talk to him."

"I know, but… I thought maybe I could be the one to talk to him," Jay finished quietly, not meeting Kai's eyes until he finished the request.

Kai raised an eyebrow.

Jay knew it was an odd thing to ask for. The six of them loved each other fiercely, unequivocally, _equally_ … but Jay knew that being willing to die for your brother didn't necessarily equate closeness. He and Lloyd weren't exactly best of friends, and Jay, like everyone, knew Kai harbored a special protectiveness of their baby brother…

But, Jay also knew without a doubt that he was the best person to talk to Lloyd.

At the raised eyebrow, the blue ninja rushed to explain. "This isn't some enemy you can fight, Kai. Lloyd _knows_ Morro can't hurt him anymore. He _knows_ he had no other choice besides destroying the Preeminent with Garmadon inside. But, he's still stressed out and anxious, and he doesn't know what to do about it." Jay patted his chest. "I _know_ anxiety! Heck, I could write a book on anxiety! And, I think I know what to do to help him."

Jay watched Kai's face carefully, hoping his brother also understood everything Jay _didn't_ say. That Kai, despite only having the noblest of intentions… came across as abrasive, and the confrontational approach had already failed. That Kai was more than qualified to prove there wasn't a monster in the closet by being there to open it… but that Jay might be more qualified to disprove the monster that survived no matter how many times you checked the closet or under the bed, that hid in your shadow in the day and ravaged your defenseless, sleeping mind at night, because he was speaking from experience.

Kai nodded. He had understood. "Okay."

* * *

"Jay, c'mon, you said this was important," Lloyd complained.

"It is!"

"Then, _why_ do I have to be blindfolded?"

Jay sighed loudly to broadcast his exasperation with Lloyd's grouchiness as he led his blind leader through the streets of Ninjago City. They received more than a few stares, but Jay was too excited to even let his awkwardness get in the way.

"It's… just important, okay?!" Jay said in response to the question.

"Can't you at least tell me where we're going?" Lloyd huffed.

"If I could tell you where we were going, then what would be the point of blindfolding you, _Lloyd_?"

"Jay, I really need to get back to training-" Lloyd cut himself off as Jay suddenly twisted his shoulders so he was facing the right and pushed him through a doorway. A blast of cool air washed over both of them, and Lloyd cocked his head, listening to the dull roar of so many children's voices. "Jay, where are we?"

Jay whipped off the blindfold.

Lloyd blinked to focus- and then his eyes widened.

The Ninjago City Sweet Shoppe claimed to be the biggest candy store in the world- and Jay at least suspected this to be true if he was not fully convinced. With two stories and displays overflowing with milk, white, and dark chocolate; bubblegum of every color that were all warring to be called the "chewiest"; jelly beans boasting flavors that Jay didn't even think _existed_ ; taffy and licorice ropes longer than he was; and jawbreakers bigger than his head, "biggest candy store in the world" certainly seemed plausible.

All the ninja knew Lloyd's weakness for candy, especially since the first time they'd ever met him, he had been stealing some. Lloyd was almost drooling.

But, then the Green Ninja shook his head. "Jay, this isn't _important_. I need to be training-"

Jay interrupted Lloyd by holding up a card an inch from his face, forcing Lloyd to swipe it out of his hand.

"Look, Nya gave me a gift card, but I don't really like candy," Jay explained. This was a lie, since Jay loved candy and because he had bought the gift card himself less than an hour ago (the cashier who sold it to him was squinting at him as if trying to figure out where she knew Jay from.) "It's going to expire tomorrow, and I don't want it go to waste."

Lloyd stared at the card in his hand.

Glanced at the candy waiting so patiently.

Glanced at the door.

Glanced at Jay.

Back at the card.

He could see the indecision on Lloyd's face, and that was why he knew he needed to physically bring Lloyd here before telling him about the gift card. Jay could almost hear the voices in Lloyd's head, telling him what and what not to do, pulling his head in the opposite direction of his heart and the guilt that followed from that disconnect.

So, if he was going to get Lloyd to let go, he needed to apply as much peer pressure (positive peer pressure!) as possible.

"Well, if it'll go to waste...," Lloyd led in hesitantly. Justifying picking candy over training to himself.

"You'd really be doing me a favor, Lloyd," Jay confirmed.

Lloyd looked up at Jay and grinned like a kid in a candy store.

* * *

"Oh, and they had the strawberry kiwi flavored jelly beans! They _never_ have the strawberry kiwi flavored jelly beans!" Lloyd gushed as he and Jay headed down the sidewalk of the quickly darkening streets of Ninjago City as he popped some of the coveted pink jelly beans in his mouth while balancing his bulging and incredibly heavy bag of candy. "And, they try to tell me that strawberry lemonade is the same thing, when it is most definitely _not_ the same thing."

Jay laughed as they passed in front of the museum, glad to finally be seeing his baby brother back instead of the stressed out shadow of him that had been present the past couple of days.

"And, the _chocolate_. Don't even get me-" Lloyd froze when he looked up from his now empty container of strawberry kiwi jelly beans. "Wait a second! What-What time is it?!"

"Lloyd, it's only-"

"Oh, geez, it's so late," Lloyd moaned, running his hand through his blonde hair in distress. "Why did you talk me into this?"

"Lloyd-"

Lloyd started walking again. "We need to-"

Jay grabbed his wrist, yanking Lloyd to a stop. "Lloyd, just-just _stop_ for one second, okay?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Jay, I need to train-"

" _No_ ," Jay interrupted, and Lloyd seemed taken aback by Jay's rarely used firm voice. "You don't need to do anything. Do you hear me, Lloyd? You don't _need_ to do anything."

Lloyd shook his head. "But-"

"You forgot for a little while, right?" Jay asked, nodding at the bag of candy in Lloyd's hand. "You forgot about needing to feel anxious, and you felt happy, right?"

Lloyd's eyes dropped to his bag of candy as it were a piece of incriminating evidence he had just been caught with. All he offered Jay was a jerky shrug.

"That's what I wanted to show you," Jay continued quietly. "I know you're still scared of Morro, and I know you feel guilty about your dad, and I know you know better about both of those things. But, I'm going to tell you now, Lloyd: nothing is going to make you feel better. Training extra hard is not going to make your fear of Morro go away. Forcing yourself to feel guilty over your dad isn't going to make it go away."

Lloyd hadn't moved. He seemed frozen. Jay continued.

"Nothing is going to make you feel better about those things," he said. "Except letting them go."

Lloyd was shaking now, twitching with miniature inhales and seemingly never exhaling.

"I know exactly how you feel," Jay insisted, trying to convince Lloyd. "I know how impossible that seems, and sometimes you need someone else to tell you that it's okay to let go. It's okay to forget about that fear. It's okay to forget about that guilt. It's okay to let go, Lloyd."

And, then Lloyd was crying, all of the fear and guilt and stress and acute sense of loneliness in a boat full of people flowing out of him at once. He was wiping at his cheeks with his fists, and the action made him appear so much younger than he was, for an instant Jay was afraid the Tomorrow's Tea had worn off suddenly and the Lloyd he had first met was in front of him again.

Jay shifted his weight, unsure. He knew some people, like himself, revelled in physical affection, but others didn't. As a test, he laid his hand on Lloyd's arm.

Lloyd stepped forward, burying his face in Jay's chest, perhaps as much out of a need to conceal his face from curious passersby as for comfort.

Jay reciprocated the hug, running his hand through Lloyd's blonde locks, trying to pull from every time one of his brothers had comforted him in his time of need, from everything he'd ever wanted to hear when he was alone. "Anytime you need help letting go of everything, just come find me and we'll go get candy or ice cream or go see a dumb movie or go play laser tag or paintball or-"

Lloyd laughed. A short, quiet, watery laugh, but a laugh all the same. "You're rambling, Jay."

"Heh, I guess I am…"

Lloyd pulled away. He rubbed his damp cheeks and sniffed. "Do you… There's a movie… I kind of wanted to see… But, I didn't think I should…"

Jay could see the doubt in Lloyd like a nervous tic. Part of him still wanted to give into the stress and go home and train or worry or stew in a vague sense of guilt and worthlessness with no end in sight.

But, Jay was telling him to let all that go. So, he would try. It was hard, but he would try.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Jay exclaimed- then fixed Lloyd with a pointed look. "And, then?"

Lloyd blinked. "And, then... what?"

"And, then sleep."

Lloyd laughed, swiping at the corners of his eyes as more tears tried to leak out. He nodded.

"And, then sleep."

* * *

 **For those of you who read Broken Circle, you know Lloyd's had a rough go of it this week XD Sorry, buddy!**

 **I wrote this chapter based on my own experiences and coping with anxiety. I don't know if any of you that have anxiety feel the same way that I do, so I wrote this only as accurately as I could based on my personal experiences.**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter! Next up is Cole on Monday :D**


	5. Cole

**Wow! Already over 100 reviews in four chapters! This is shaping up to be the most popular Five Times yet! You guys are too good to me :3**

 **This chapter takes place right after the episode "The Temple on Haunted Hill," when Cole is turned into a ghost. I would think a day passes between that episode and the next one ("Peak-a-boo"), so I think it's plausible to squeeze this one shot in between them :D**

 **Special thanks to NinjagoGeek4EVER, RPM Shadow, Pipes123, The Titan's Shadow, WindNinja333, MightyShipper, CHEESEPUFF fg, Serpentine King, ABCSKW123-IX, FirstFandomFangirl, aura-w, CaribbeanGirl, Hawkfeather, mochi, TheYellowNinja, RandomDragon2.0, Cerenda, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, KyraPlays, Aurro sister of Morro, Echo15, GwenBrightly, A Huge Fangirl, GameCubeGirl1, PrarieSkies, and Ninjago1019 for reviewing! :D**

 **I will be replying to reviews after posting this! (And replying to Broken Circle reviews :/ I'm sorry I haven't yet, this weekend has been crazy for me :/)**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **RPM Shadow: Jay would be an awesome friend to have :3 Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **MightyShipper: Wow, I hope this chapter lives up to all the anticipation! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **CaribbeanGirl: Seriously, Lloyd's been through a lot! But, at least Jay is there to talk it out with him! :D Lloyd definitely needs to take a break from being the Green Ninja every once in a while :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Hawkfeather: Kai could definitely help out Lloyd just by being there, but I thought Jay would be the better candidate to talk things out with Lloyd :D I'm so glad you thought everyone was in character! :D Haha, Lloyd's weakness is candy XD Poor Lloyd D': Cole should just constantly be giving someone a piggy back ride XD Yep, only two more chapters, including this one :( I'm so glad you love the story! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **mochi: Yay! I'm so happy you thought it was cute! :3 Lloyd's had a hard life :/ Seriously, he should go to therapy or something! I'm glad you liked Jay's characterization, and I hope you like this chapter! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: Poor Lloyd D': I love the idea that Lloyd can't help but act like a kid sometimes, especially when surrounded with candy! :D Like I said, I try to describe anxiety as best I could from my own personal experiences, so I'm not sure if everyone feels this way when they get anxious. You know I love Cole and Jay's relationship! :3 I hope you like this chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Aurro sister of Morro: Very true! The ninja are just human- and teenagers at that!- and they undergo a lot of stress :/ I'm glad you liked my depiction of the stress they're under :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Echo15: I'm glad you like my characterization for Jay and that my depiction of anxiety was accurate! Distraction and understanding are definitely the best medicine for anxiety! :D Aw, thank you sooo much for the kind words! :D**

 **GwenBrightly: Thank you so much! :D I definitely agree that distraction and doing things that make you happy are the best ways to help with anxiety! The ninja definitely go through a lot of traumatic events, so I enjoyed writing the aftermath we don't get to see in the show :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Jay glanced at his phone wearily, reluctant to see the time even though he had been checking it obsessively every two minutes.

9:54 PM.

Cole had been missing for three hours and twenty six minutes.

They should have known. They should have _known_. Cole had just become a ghost that morning. He had been all but silent and miserable the entire trek back to the Destiny's Bounty. He had rebuffed any comfort about his new ghostly form. He had rebuffed any attempt at conversation that _didn't_ have to do with his new ghostly form.

He couldn't stop staring at his hands. He couldn't stop reaching for things even knowing his hand would phase right through it. He turned on the sink and watched the water run, knowing he would never be able to touch it again.

They didn't know how to help him.

But, they should have known not to leave him alone. They should have known that when he smiled and said, "I'm just going to go lay down for a while," that it was a lie. They should have known that his bedroom would be empty and cold at 6:28 PM.

And, as he walked through the streets of whatever city they were near now, searching for any glimpse of his brother and read the short text Nya had sent to the group chat- _not in any restaurants past fifteenth street-_ Jay wondered what he should have done, said, _been_ instead. His brother had just lost his mortality, humanity, touch, _body_ , and Jay hadn't thought of one thing that could make that okay. If only he had known what to _do_ , maybe Cole wouldn't be missing, upset, possibly hurt and or just _gone_ -

Jay's phone rang.

Thinking it was one of his brothers calling him to ask if he'd found Cole yet- which obviously he hadn't because he would have called if he had- Jay glanced-

The caller ID read _Dirt Clod_.

The photo was a stock image of some mud.

Realizing he should answer it before he missed the chance, Jay shed the shock that had consumed him and scrambled to accept the call.

"Cole?! Are you alright?! Where are you?!"

Silence.

"Cole?"

No answer.

"Cole, please talk to me."

Nothing- then a sob. "I broke it."

"What? What did you break?" Jay asked, mind already jumping to the worst possible interpretation- _arm? Leg?-_ oh wait, Cole was a ghost now. He couldn't break anything; that was a plus at least. "You know what? It doesn't even matter. I'll help you fix it. You just have to tell me where you are."

Another long pause. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay, Cole! No one's mad at you. We just want to know where you are. Can you tell me where you are, Cole?"

"He's not here anyway," Cole said suddenly, another sob making him hard to understand. "I shouldn't have- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even called-"

"No, Cole, _please_ -"

The line went dead.

"No!" Jay shouted at the phone, as if it was its fault. "No, don't get frustrated, you can figure this out, Jay. Okay, he said he broke something, and that 'he' wasn't there…. Who could 'he' be?"

Jay only thought about it for .05 seconds before realizing how stupid he was. Cole had just suffered a life-altering incident and was sorely in need of comfort that he apparently couldn't find in any of his siblings.

Of _course_ he would go to his father.

They weren't even terribly far from Cole's hometown. Sure, it wasn't necessarily _nearby_ but it was near enough that they should have guessed he might go there instead of wandering random streets aimlessly. It was just another example of not knowing what to do when he should have.

He quickly texted the group chat- _I found him_.

Almost instantly, three identical texts came back: _where_?

Jay was about to type out his response… Then, stopped. If Cole had wanted all of them around him, begging him to feel better, he would have stayed on the Bounty. And, Cole had called him, crying out for help even if he didn't know it yet.

So, as he jogged toward the nearest bus stop, he only texted: _I'll bring him home._

* * *

Jay sighed in relief as he finally, _finally_ found Cole's childhood home. The town wasn't by any means big, and he vaguely remembered where it was located from the other time they'd visited, so it was only a matter of time before he stumbled across it.

All the lights were off in the house, but that didn't necessarily mean nobody was home. The only car was missing from the driveway though- and Jay remembered Cole crying, _"He's not here anyway."_ Lou must have been at some rehearsal or performance, his phone most likely turned off so as to not disrupt the music and with no idea that his son was in dire need of his help.

Jay crept up the sidewalk, trying the doorknob. It turned, only confirming Jay's hypothesis that Cole was here. Lou would probably not have left the door unlocked, but Cole very well may have forgot to lock it behind him when he came in.

He tiptoed into the house, now wishing he had brought a flashlight or something. Ever since the traumatic experience in Sensei Yang's temple the night before, Jay was pretty sure he had a lifelong fear of dark houses. Looking around in the kitchen and living room and finding no one, Jay then moved down the hallway. He tried the first door he came to.

He had never been in Cole's old bedroom, but he recognized it as such instantly. It looked exactly like his bedroom on the Bounty, if more sparse. The comforter on the bed was black, first of all. Art supplies and books littered the shelves and desk. There was almost nothing related to dancing or singing; really his dad should have figured out that Cole hated it sooner.

Jay stepped further into the room- and gasped when he heard glass crackling under his feet. Looking down, he saw a picture frame on the ground. Crouching down beside the frame and squinting in the faint moonlight that filtered in from the window, he saw that it was a picture of a woman with long blonde hair, grinning out of the picture with an easy smile. The glass of the frame had been shattered and was now scattered across the bedroom floor like someone had dropped it.

" _I broke it."_

Cole had been here at least, but he didn't appear to be here now. Jay turned to exit the room-

The closet door was open a crack.

"Cole?" Jay whispered, carefully pulling open the closet door.

There was his brother, curled up in the corner of his closet, knees drawn to his chest and face buried in them.

Jay hated to admit it, but when he had first turned around to see Cole had turned into a ghost, he had been a little… creeped out. Not that it had been Cole's fault or anything, and Jay had immediately reprimanded himself for letting any thought of the sort enter his mind, but no one could deny the fact that Cole was a _ghost_. A _spirit_. An _impression_ of a body who could phase through things and possess people like Morro had Lloyd.

But, now, looking at his best friend so upset and alone and lost, Jay hated himself for ever considering for a _moment_ that anything at all had changed between them. If only he had made sure Cole knew that. Another example of not knowing what to do.

When Cole didn't react whatsoever, Jay entered the closet and sat down beside him so their arms were touching.

"Cole?" Jay tried again. "It's alright, you know. Nobody's mad at you. They're just worried. I'm worried."

Cole didn't say anything. Jay could feel him shaking.

"You know it doesn't change anything, right?" Jay continued. "It's like when we found out Zane was a nindroid. We're still brothers. We're always brothers. You're still the same person."

"I broke it," Cole sobbed suddenly without lifting his face. "I just- _dropped_ it- I couldn't- I couldn't hold it- I couldn't _hold_ it, I couldn't even _feel_ it, Jay…"

"Hey, it's okay," Jay said, wrapping his arm around Cole's shoulders. "We just need to get a new frame. And, you'll get better at holding stuff! I mean, the other ghosts we've seen hold stuff all the time like no problem! And, you know, who even needs water anyway? I hate getting wet honestly- and then it's so annoying to have to dry off, and now you don't have to deal with that-"

 _Shut up, Jay_ , he snapped at himself, realizing how he was babbling and most likely making Cole feel worse.

But, his coping mechanism was _positive thinking_. If looking at the bright side wasn't the solution- as it clearly wasn't from the way Cole was still wrapped in a ball and shuddering- then what was the alternative? Why didn't Jay ever know the right thing to do?

Unless.

Unless that _was_ the right thing to do.

"This _sucks_."

There was a pause.

Cole looked up.

"Okay? It _sucks_ ," Jay repeated, his arm still around Cole's shoulders. "It's awful and unfair and it never should have happened to a person as amazing as you, Cole."

Cole started crying- or, _not_ crying as he physically couldn't shed tears, which just made this whole thing even worse- but he nodded and he didn't retreat back into his shell, so Jay was getting through to him.

Because Cole didn't need "Everything's going to be okay" right now. Everything _would_ be, of course- they'd get through this just like they had gotten through everything else, and they would be alright again. But, it was selfish to try to make Cole better _now_. He needed time to just _be sad_ , and Jay was going to give it to him.

"So, you don't have to say or do anything else," Jay continued. "But, I'll be right here for you. Unless you want me to leave, of course."

Cole thought about it but ultimately shook his head. "Will you… Will you stay until my dad gets here?"

Jay nodded. "As long as you want me to, bro."

So, the two brothers sat in amicable silence, letting the time pass over them.

* * *

"Jay. Jay."

"Mmph?" Jay raised his head. Apparently, crouched in the dark closet in the middle of the night, Jay had dozed off.

Cole was shaking him now. At some point, they had shifted from Jay's arm around Cole to Cole's arm around Jay. Jay wasn't surprised; Cole had always been better at being protector instead of protected, and Jay hoped this meant he was starting to feel more like himself.

"My dad's home."

Jay sat up, a bit more awake and alert now. "Okay. That's good, right?"

When Cole didn't respond right away, Jay pressed more urgently into Cole's side. "Cole. What is it?"

"What if he hates me?"

The words were no louder than a breath, but Jay heard them regardless.

"Cole, that- I'm sorry, but that's just _crazy_ , okay? Your dad loves you more than anything, and that hasn't changed."

Cole wouldn't meet his eyes.

Jay continued insistently. He had been willing to give Cole his space before, but this was _insanity_. "Cole, nothing's changed. I know, I know, everything's changed, but _nothing's_ changed, you know?"

Cole still seemed unconvinced, but he was looking at Jay from out of the corner of his eye.

Jay went on. "And, no matter what happens out there, I'll still be right here for you. Me and Kai and Zane and Nya and Lloyd, when we get him back. We'll still be here and we'll _always_ be here, okay? _Nothing's_ changed."

Cole hesitated a second longer.

He nodded.

He stood up.

Jay stayed rolled up in the corner of the closet. He listened to Cole's footsteps getting farther away. He heard his father shout in surprise. He couldn't make out any specific words, but Lou's tone clearly conveyed shock then happiness then shock again as he realized what was different about his son. Cole's voice was barely audible- explaining quietly, brokenly, what had happened.

Then Jay heard, clear as bell, "Everything's going to be okay, son," and then Cole crying, proving he was ready to hear those words now, instead of then, from someone who was not Jay.

But, that was okay. Not knowing what to do was okay, because sometimes there was not anything to do, except be there. And, Jay would be there for Cole, right here, until he was ready to go home.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation any further, Jay pulled out of his phone- to see twenty seven unread text messages on the group chat ranging from worried to annoyed to enraged.

The most recent text, though, was from Nya.

 _Is he okay?_

 _Yes_ , Jay typed back, listening to the sounds of talking and crying and reassurance and love from the room over. _He'll be okay_.

* * *

 **So, a bit on the short side, but I like how this one came out :3**

 **I hope you guys liked it! Next chapter is Jay on Thursday, which will be the last chapter :'(**


	6. Jay

**So, first of all, I sincerely apologize to everyone for not updating last Thursday. I would have warned you guys about a late update if I knew how INCREDIBLY LONG it would take me to write this chapter, but I had SO MUCH more trouble than I thought I would writing this. I wrote this chapter four different ways and hated every one before FINALLY settling on this scenario. I'm so sorry for my tardiness, everyone, and I hope you still enjoy the chapter!**

 **Special thanks to Pipes123, The Titan's Shadow, NinjagoGeek4EVER, MightyShipper, IHaveAProblem, Hawkfeather, Serpentine King, RandomDragon2.0, WindNinja333, GameCubeGirl1, CHEESEPUFF fg, RPM Shadow, Peanut2196, Kweriitop, TheYellowNinja, Plumcicle, GwenBrightly, mochi, Guesty, PrairieSkies, KyraPlays, LeUltimateNerd, Cerenda, CaribbeanGirl, FireWriter316, Aurro sister of Morro, and happylittlesharkie for reviewing! I love you guys so much! :D**

 **I will reply to reviews after posting this! (After all, you guys have waited long enough :/)**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **MightyShipper: Haha, aw, I'm so glad the chapter made you happy! :D I hope THIS chapter doesn't disappoint you either! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **IHaveAProblem: Cole is my favorite :3 I love their dynamic as well! :D They're just adorable :3 "Amazing literary works?!" "True inspiration?!" Woah, you way too kind! Thank you SO MUCH for this incredibly nice review, and know that you made my day :D**

 **Hawkfeather: Aw, I LOVED your rant! You summed up EXACTLY what the chapter was about. One needs time to grieve, and it's okay to be sad :D Ooh, cool, you got an account! I love the name! :D I'm sad this story's over as well, but don't worry! There are plenty of stories left to come, and I hope you read those as well, since you leave such lovely reviews :D Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing! :D**

 **RPM Shadow: Haha, well, it was implied that that was a picture of his mom, and he was definitely upset that he broke it, but he was overall upset over becoming a ghost D': Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **TheYellowNinja: "A perfect oneshot?!" Aw, thank you so much! You nailed EXACTLY what I was going for in this fic :D Jay learning that positive thinking may not always be the solution to a problem, and being willing to let Cole seek that type of comfort from his dad rather than Jay :D It definitely shows the depth of Jay's love and maturity :D Thank you so much for this awesome review! :D**

 **Plumcicle: Haha, "amazing?!" You're making me blush! XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **GwenBrightly: Yeah, I definitely think it's interesting to explore the "behind the scenes" of the show- everything we didn't see but must have/could have been there. So, I'm so glad you enjoy reading all my emotional/angsty stories! XD Yep, I definitely think that simply being there for someone else is one of the best ways to help them :D I'm glad you liked the inclusion of Cole's dad. I was always curious about what Lou's reaction to Cole being a ghost was (another thing we didn't see in the show -_-;) and I think a parent provides a special kind of comfort that other people can't. :D Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **mochi: Aw, you have no idea how happy it makes me to know you're excited for my updates! Oof, believe me, I know how stressful school gets, especially at the end of the year. I'm glad you're almost done, and I'm so glad my story could bring you a little bit of happiness! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **Guesty: Ooh, interesting question! I feel like Lloyd and Jay would definitely be ticklish. Zane, probably not since he's a robot. Hm... I think Nya and Cole wouldn't be, and Kai would act like he wasn't, even though he secretly is XD Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

 **CaribbeanGirl: Aw, you really cried!? That makes me so happy, since it means I did my job :D "Extremely talented?!" You are WAY too kind! :D I definitely think allowing people time to be sad is really important, as opposed to wanting to make them happy instantly. But, Cole will be okay with his awesome support system! :D Thank you so much for this really, really nice review! It definitely made me smile :D**

 **Aurro sister of Morro: Aw, I'm glad my stories can show you new perspectives! I love that season as well :3 Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

* * *

"Jay?"

Jay didn't look up. He stared down at Cole's feet directly in front of him from where he was sitting on the curb. There was some broken glass beside his shoe. Broken glass on the street?

" _Jay, watch out!"_

Jay shut his eyes.

He felt Cole's hand on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes again, Cole was kneeling in front of him, trying to meet his gaze. He should probably tell Cole about the broken glass. He should probably tell Cole that the car was wrecked. He should probably tell Cole that he had been driving.

 _He had been driving_.

"C'mon, bro, talk to me," Cole said quietly, squeezing Jay's shoulder.

Talk to him? What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to describe the sound of screeching metal, the sound of glass shattering? Was he supposed to tell Cole about the moment of breathlessness after the airbag had slammed into his chest, when he wasn't sure if he was alive or dead?

Was he supposed to admit that the light had been red and he hadn't noticed until it was too late? That it was his fault Kai had been spirited away in a screaming ambulance and Zane was shut down, possibly irreversibly damaged?

Cole sighed. He moved to sit beside Jay on the curb. Jay felt the arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

He dreaded hearing Cole say that everything would be alright. Jay was the only one of three brothers in the car to come out of the crash unscathed, and that was not alright. If Kai or Zane was really hurt, it would never be alright again.

But, he didn't.

Cole sat their silently, holding his brother close, and feeling the warmth and strength of another body pressed against his convinced Jay things might be alright again more than empty words ever could.

* * *

They were talking about him.

Nya had taken Zane home to repair him, but Lloyd had ridden to the hospital with them. Cole and Lloyd had had the courtesy to move out of earshot, but the conspicuous glances thrown at Jay sitting miserably in the waiting room chair as they waited for the verdict on Kai were more than enough of a hint that they were discussing him.

Jay didn't care. He couldn't find it in himself to care. He was numb. Every vein and artery was filled with ice; the cotton in his brain muted his thoughts. He hadn't said a word since the crash. Just numb.

"Jay." Lloyd was in front of him now. When had he moved? "Jay, you want to go get some air?"

He wanted Kai to be alright.

He wanted Zane to be here.

He wanted to go back in time and make it so he had been paying attention to the red light. He wanted to make it so he had never gotten in the car. He wanted…

He wanted Lloyd to stop looking at him like that.

Robotically, he stood up. He trailed after Lloyd as the Green Ninja passed through the automatic doors into the cool night air, and he didn't miss his leader's nod toward Cole. Jay immediately moved to lean against the wall directly beside the emergency room's automatic doors, and Lloyd, with a sigh, leaned on the wall right beside him.

They looked out at the eerily quiet parking lot, the streetlights illuminating the dark, still hulls of the cars parked there. Jay really hoped an ambulance didn't show up. He didn't know if he could handle more blood, screaming, crying, panic-

"Jay," Lloyd began. "Please say something."

Jay squinted at the parked cars. Like him, the driver of the other car had miraculously come out of the crash unscathed, but Jay only knew that because he'd overheard his brothers discussing it. He hadn't even thought to ask. That made him twice as horrible a person since he'd caused the crash in the first place.

"Jay, anybody can get distracted for a second. Anybody can miss a red light. No one blames you," Lloyd explained gently. "And, I think, deep down, you know all that. But, you're bottling everything up inside, because you don't want to let yourself believe it.

"You think it's better to force yourself to feel guilty." Lloyd patted his own chest. "I get it. I'm the same way. But, you told me that it doesn't help. _You_ told me that."

Jay didn't want to hear this. Why couldn't his brothers see that he didn't matter right now? That only Zane and Kai's well beings were even relevant?

He pushed off the wall and made to move around Lloyd-

Lloyd hugged him.

Jay made a noise of displeasure and tried to pry Lloyd off of him, but the Green Ninja held fast. Jay knew it was futile since he was stronger than all of them except Cole, but it still didn't stop him from trying to escape Lloyd's grasp.

"Please, Jay," Lloyd said, and in this moment sounded more like a little brother than a prophetic hero than he ever had before. "I'm worried about you. I don't know what's going to happen to you if you don't get some… some _release_. You have to let it out. Please just say something."

Jay again tried to move past Lloyd, but the Green Ninja was relentless. Jay realized he would probably hold him all night if he had to.

Tears of frustration welled up in his eyes upon coming to that conclusion, and he pushed against Lloyd with renewed vigor. He might have hurt Lloyd or even scratched him by accident, but Lloyd didn't release him.

"Jay," Lloyd said tearfully. "It's okay to let go."

Jay placed his hands on Lloyd's shoulders to push him off.

But, he didn't.

He clenched his fingers in the fabric of Lloyd's shirt.

He couldn't remember the exact moment he had burst into tears, but Lloyd was there, hugging him and holding him up and telling him he was right there and always would be.

* * *

When Lloyd and Jay came back into the waiting room, Cole was on the phone.

"-he's not- oh, there he is now," he said into the phone upon seeing his brothers enter the room. He held the phone out to Jay. "It's Nya. She wants to talk to you."

Jay felt his throat close up.

Nya, whose brother was in the hospital. Because of him.

Cole pushed the phone at him insistently and gave him a half-pleading, half-admonishing look. Jay forced himself to take the cell phone.

He held it up to his ear.

"Jay?"

Jay didn't want to talk- he hadn't talked since the crash- but he had to know.

"How's-" His voice was thin and gravelly from disuse, and his tongue felt awkward and too big for his mouth, but he noticed Cole and Lloyd visibly sag with relief at hearing him speak again. "How's Zane?"

He held his breath.

"He's totally alright, Jay," Nya said gently. Jay sank into the chair beside Cole, unable to stand any longer. "The damage was extremely minor."

"Can I talk to him?"

Jay wasn't sure he wanted to, wasn't sure he could face the brother he had endangered. But, he was sure he wanted to hear Zane's voice, even if it was being used to deliver cold accusations or fiery insults.

"He's still rebooting. We'll come meet you guys as soon as he's online again."

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"I'm more worried about you, Jay."

"Why?" He demanded. Everyone seemed to be so worried and yet _he_ was the one that had come out of the crash perfectly healthy. "What about Kai?"

"I'm worried about Kai, too. But, Cole said it's just a broken leg. He's been through a lot worse, Jay, and that's never kept him down. He's going to be alright, Jay."

Another pause.

"Jay, you know he's going to be alright."

Jay leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand while the other kept the phone to his ear.

"It was my fault, Nya."

"Jay-"

"We were fighting over the radio station. The _radio station_."

"Jay, it's-"

"And, I was trying to change the station and I wasn't paying attention and I ran the red light. _I_ did. Not the other driver."

"Jay-"

"Nya, I'm so-"

"You're not perfect."

Jay was silent.

"You're going to make mistakes and not pay attention and run red lights just like everyone else. It doesn't make you a monster. It doesn't make you less than."

Jay closed his eyes.

"You're my hero, Jay," Nya said quietly. "That hasn't changed."

Jay couldn't help it- a watery laugh popped out of his mouth without his permission. "You're my hero, too, Nya."

"I'm going to look over Zane one last time to make sure I didn't miss anything, but then we'll meet you guys at the hospital. Okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, Jay."

He hung up the phone.

They waited.

* * *

"Look, Zane and Nya are here!" Lloyd exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pointing.

Both he and Lloyd hugged the nindroid as soon as he entered the waiting room, talking over each other to explain just how happy they were that Zane was alright.

Jay followed more slowly. Joy filled and overflowed his chest at the sight of his brother walking and smiling and laughing without a hint of being in an accident only hours before… but it was taking all he had not to avert his eyes in shame.

"What are those?" Cole asked, pointing at some papers in Zane's hand.

"Nya suggested a simple, tactile activity to test my neurological pathways and ensure my internal hardwiring was still in order," Zane explained, proudly admiring the pieces of paper. "I decided coloring would be a sufficient such activity."

Jay drew up short when the paper suddenly appeared in front of his face.

It was just a regular sized piece of copy paper but written in immaculate block letters in two rows across the top and bottom were the words "Get well soon!" There was a little cartoon Jay between the two rows of words with his arms thrown up in the air and grinning.

"I would have made a more detailed card, but we were pressed for time," Zane said apologetically. With a gesture at the other one, he said, "This one is for Kai."

Jay thought the little chibi Jay on the card was adorable, but he couldn't help but frown in confusion. "Um, thanks, Zane, but… why? I don't need to get well. I wasn't hurt," he explained, bitterness staining his tone at the end. Maybe if he had gotten hurt, he wouldn't feel as guilty about the whole thing.

Zane handed the remaining card to Lloyd and Cole so they could coo at how cute chibi Kai had come out while Nya rolled her eyes affectionately and then pulled Jay over to speak to him privately.

"We were all in that accident, Jay," Zane said gently. "And, I find internal scars are usually the most damaging."

Jay looked down, the cartoon version of himself becoming blurred through his tears, but he was careful not to clench his fists and thus crease his brother's hard work. "Why are you guys so worried about me? I-It was all my fault! And, _you_ were that ones that got hurt, not me. You guys could have been _killed_!"

"Jay," Zane addressed calmly, squeezing his upper arm. "If Kai had run the red light by accident, would you blame him?"

Jay looked away. "Well, no, but-"

Zane hugged him. "I do not know why you persist in believing that you are worth less than the rest of us."

Jay hesitantly hugged his brother back, knowing Zane was talking about all the time and not just now, knowing that he was right.

"I only wish you could see yourself as we see you," Zane continued. "And, know that you are worthy of a 'get well soon' card."

Jay was too choked up to respond, but he nodded against Zane's shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

The five ninja looked over at the nurse hesitantly approaching them with clipboard in hand.

"Is Kai alright?" Nya asked immediately.

"Your friend is completely fine," the nurse reassured warmly. Jay felt a weight drop from his shoulders, and he was almost dizzy with relief. "It was a clean break- textbook. You're free to take him home, but first, he's been asking for someone named Jay?"

The blue ninja stiffened at his name. Zane gently pushed him forward.

The nurse smiled at him, but Jay still felt like he was going to throw up. "I'll take you to him."

Jay glanced nervously at the others, but they nodded encouragingly at him. Swallowing, Jay followed the nurse through the double doors and down the hall.

Kai had been asking for him specifically? He wanted to give Jay a piece of his mind. He wanted to yell at Jay away from the others. He wanted Jay to see exactly what he'd done.

Jay wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs and hoped the nurse didn't notice.

She stopped in front of a door. "He's right inside. Crutches are already in the room."

Jay probably would have waited in front of the door, hand hovering just above the doorknob, for ages if the nurse hadn't remained standing right beside him, as if she had noticed Jay's anxiety and wanted to make sure Jay actually entered the room instead of finding the nearest exit.

Sighing and knowing he was going to have to face his injured brother sooner or later, Jay opened the door.

"Catch!"

Instinct alone allowed Jay to catch the object headed directly for his face.

He peered at the permanent marker in his hand and then at Kai who was grinning at Jay from where he was seated on the edge of his hospital bed. He looked nearly identical to how he had before the accident, wearing his red t-shirt and khaki shorts, but a fiery red cast now adorned his lower right leg from knee to ankle. Two crutches were resting against the bed beside Kai, and Jay felt sick again.

By way of greeting, Kai raised his injured leg and pointed at it. "Sign it."

Jay balked, shaking his head. "B-But- what about the accident?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"I mean, aren't you mad? At me?"

Kai laughed, shaking his head. "Man, I knew it. I _knew_ it! I knew you were going to be doing your little Jay freak-out, guilt-trip thing the whole time I was in here." Kai pointed more insistently at his cast, and, dazed, Jay drifted to his bedside and crouched on the ground so he could sign the cast. Kai continued, "In fact, I was _so_ sure, I even wrote a poem for you inspired by it."

Jay, pen poised over the red plaster, looked up at Kai questioningly, the ghost of a smile beginning to pull at his lips.

"Roses are red, Jay is blue," Kai recited before flicking Jay in the forehead. "Get over yourself before I hit you."

Jay laughed- a real, true, belly laugh that expelled all the guilt and self-loathing and _fear_ from his body, because Kai _forgave_ him. Immediately. Unquestioningly.

Jay signed his name obnoxiously huge down the length of Kai's cast (though he, of course, left plenty of room for the others to sign), and, still laughing, said, "Wow, Kai, I can tell you put a lot of effort into writing that poem."

Kai reached for the crutches and, with a grunt of exertion, pushed himself onto his one viable foot. Shrugging, he started hobbling toward the door and threw over his shoulder. "Yeah, well, someone once told me that putting in a lot of effort is how you show that you love someone."

Jay couldn't help but beam at macho-man Kai's roundabout way of admitting that he still loved him, even after the accident, and the fact that his brother had purposely turned his back probably so Jay wouldn't see him blushing.

Jay couldn't help himself- he tackled Kai in a hug from behind, eliciting much whining protest from the red ninja.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," Kai mumbled, smacking Jay repeatedly with one crutch to get him to let go while he tried to stay balanced on the other. "Now can we go? I'm starving!"

Jay obediently held the door open for Kai. When they made it to the waiting room, the others gathered around their brother, fought over the marker to sign the cast, all of which finally culminated in Cole throwing Kai over his shoulder to carry him out of the hospital, much to the red ninja's- and the nurses'- chagrin.

Jay still felt a twinge of guilt as he picked up Kai's dropped crutches. But he watched Zane, Cole, and Lloyd tease Kai and heard Kai threaten to engulf them all in a blazing inferno and felt Nya's hand slip into his own, and he knew that he'd be okay.

* * *

 **So, although this chapter took me FOREVER, I like how it finally turned out :D I hope you guys liked it as well!**

 **But, unfortunately, this brings "Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up" to an end D': I'm very sad, but don't worry! More stories are on the way, including Zane's and Nya's Five Times! I will be taking a short break before posting them (a couple of weeks or so), but keep your eyes peeled!**

 **It's been a joy sharing my writing with you guys, and thank you all for taking the time to read and review!**


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